SYSTEM'54 - Key Persons
Ben Waghorn started playing in local jazz bands in his home town of Bristol at the age of fourteen, before joining London based hard bop drummer Tommy Chase in 1989. Ben was also a member of NYJO between 1991 and 1995, touring and recording a number of albums during this period. Ben has a busy recording career playing for TV, Film and radio, and has recorded or performed with musicians and bands such as Kasabian, Portishead, Goldfrapp, Kasabian, John Matthius, Sonia, Sinita and Luke Goss. Theatre Work in London's West End includes ‘West Side Story', ‘Fosse' and ‘Chicago'.
Ben is an Edition Records artist and is featured heavily with the Dave Stapleton Quartet on the album ‘The House always wins', which was released to critical acclaim in 2007. A new album has just been recorded for release in early 2010. Ben's Quartet album is also due for release in the same year.
He has been involved in a range of projects with pianist and composer Keith Tippett, including the ensemble ‘Tapestry', a piece written by Keith for two saxophone quartets and the BBC singers, the Quartet ‘Work in Progress' and The Keith Tippett Octet. Ben has toured and recorded with latin jazz group ‘Sirius B' and been involved in many productions at Bristol's Old Vic Theatre. He is also currently performing with the Dave Stapleton Trio and Duo, Andy Hague Quintet and Big Band, Resonation Big Band, Jim Blomfield's band Septimbre, and Pedalmania with Hammond Organist John Paul Gard -a new album to be released very soon. He has played alongside John Critchenson, John Etheridge, Damon Brown, Andy Sheppard, Gilad Atzmon and Steve Waterman and has played at many Jazz Festivals nationally and Internationally.
Catalin Milea is one of the most creative and active Romanian saxophonists and jazz exponents of the young generation. Born in Bucharest, Romania into a family of music lovers, if not musicians, his education was not a musical one, although he grew up having a special feeling for jazz music. Around the age of 18 he was working as a driver and sometimes as a security agent during the night in order to pay his music lessons and to buy his first saxophone. During this period he had a decisive encounter that directed him to his vocation: the music of John Coltrane.
He graduated from the Bucharest Music University and continued his studies at the Prins Claus Conservatoire (the Netherlands) and Long Island University (New York). He is a winner of various competitions. Since year 2000 He performed at music festivals in Romania, Portugal, Czech Republic, The Netherlands, and has toured Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, having recordings/concerts with various artists.
During his studies at the Prins Claus Conservatory in Groningen, he formed the group "Re-Bop Unit" and in December 2007 they released their first album as a result of winning the "Artistry of Dick Oatts and Young Musicians" jazz competition. In 2008 -2009 he performed with the same group at the "Dutch Jazz Day" and "The Hague Jazz Festival" and toured Romania in a marathon called "JAZZ IMMIGRATION". He performed with the "European Youth Jazz Orchestra" led by Peter Herbolzheimer.
Since 1994 Mr. Beecroft has been an active member of the Berlin music community where he presently lives. Along with playing all of the "traditional" saxophone family (soprano, alto, tenor & baritone saxophones), flute and enough clarinet to get him self into trouble, Mr. Beecroft has a fondness for writing and arranging music for real life musical situations. The projects listed here are an expression of not only the desire to create music for the public but to create music with personal integrety.
A short chronological biography since the time that David came to Europe from his native Canada is a good indicator as to how he spends his time:
1994 At this time he moved to Berlin and has since become one of the most well known jazz musicians in the city.
Joined the Symphonic Pops Orchestra under the leadership of Frank Hollmann. Mr. Beecroft is a featured soloist on soprano and alto saxophones as well as playing clarinet.
Leandro Saint-Hill Montejo was born in Camagüey, Cuba. He started taking violin lessons with his father Marcelo Saint-Hill Sweeney at age seven. Four years later Mario Lombida introduced him to the saxophone and paved the way for Leandro's career in music. He moved on to study at the José White Music School and meets Alfredo Thompson, who would soon become his mentor and a source for inspiration.
After graduating, the artist started teaching at the music conservatory in Las Tunas and later moved to Havana, where he was able to play alongside renowned acts such as Beatriz M., Carlos Maza Quintet and El Médico de la Salsa. In 1994 he moved to Hamburg, where his unique style and funky sound quickly made him one of the most acclaimed sax-players in the Latin-Funk scene in Europe.
In the following years Leandro partook in many important projects. Not only did he write the soundtrack for the road-movie "Kubanische Träume" (Cuban Dreams) & `Kuba das Mafiaparadies`, but was also nominated for a Grammy alongside Omar Sosa. Furthermore he played with G. Rubalcaba, Mercado Negro, J. Barreto, Patrice,Willy Chirino, and many others, be it in the studio or be it on stage. Apart from his band (Saint-Hill Colectivo), the sax-player also works as a music teacher and partakes in other renowned projects such as Cubanisimo and Tony M. & The Cuban Power.
Steffen Weber studied jazz and popular music at the Musikhochschule Mannheim from 1995 to 1999. Meanwhile he is saxophone tutor there and also at the Musikhochschule